Sifting Black Friday's deals
Filling holiday gift lists on a budget takes organized, careful planning. Sales are tempting: If I wait, will I really pay more?
That depends on what you’re buying.
Ads, consumer reports, and sales statistics reveal two Black Friday themes: Certain items are well worth the crowds (and may walk off some of that stuffing), but average savings on the rest will probably repeat. Some of the best deals are Thanksgiving Day, for those willing to leave the family table. Accenture’s annual holiday survey showed 65 percent of respondents will shop on Black Friday this year, and 47 percent Thanksgiving Day, with 72 percent enticed by advertising.
Other highlights from US News, Deals.com, WalletHub, and a scouring of print and Web ads include:
Black Friday may last a week. Increasingly, retailers offer Black Friday deals early, especially to “preferred customers” with store cards. So keep an eye out and watch for those in the newspaper; some deals are clip-coupons, or quantities limited.
Online sales are fleeting, but try webroom. One advantage to bricks-and-mortar is reliability. As my own CyberMonday experiment once proved, online deals may go inactive throughout the day, or sell out before checkout, which is frustrating. If something locally available might run out, try webrooming (buy online, pick up in-store) to shop in your jammies, save delivery fees, and avoid computer hassles. It also makes inspection and exchange quicker and easier.
Not all deals are advertised. Don’t assume it’s not on sale if it’s not in the circular. Using ads to plan is smart, but once there keep an eye out for unadvertised specials and doorbusters, as stores like to reward customers for coming.
Check your card benefits. Credit cards often have little-used benefits, such as price-drop protection, extended warranties and coverage for damaged items. Some store cards offer additional payment discounts, so ask. But be wary of deferred interest on zero-financing offers, which means higher actual cost.
Big items save bigger. If a lucky person on your list is getting a NordicTrack machine (up to $1,000 savings), Dell XPS laptop ($370 savings), or Sony 75-inch TV ($500 savings), or certain other big-ticket items, Black Friday is the way to go according to Wallethub.com’s best and worst list.
Otherwise, should you wait? Not for video games, which are the top item for best Black Friday discounts, averaging 31 percent off retail. According to WalletHub’s 2016 Black Friday report, the top five product categories include appliances (18 percent average discount), furniture (15 percent), computers and phones (14 percent), and toys (13 percent). The least in average Black Friday savings are for all other electronics; books, movies and music; and apparel. Jewelry was the lowest.
Black Friday comes down to a deal-finding science. Well worth it in certain cases. For the rest, the average sale up to 15 percent will likely repeat before Christmas.
But money isn’t everything. For some shoppers, Black Friday is as much a social, festive experience as it is a to-do list. A tradition, if you will. And one that helps keep local businesses going, and local taxes supporting local people and causes.
Cheers to helpful holiday traditions.
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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.